Santa is a benign myth

The vast majority of our country’s young children believe in Santa Claus.

He’s everywhere around Christmas – in the movies, the songs, on the wrapping paper, and giving photo ops at the mall. Parents, in fact, don’t have to teach their children about Santa. Even without a word from mom or dad, young kids anticipate the jingle bells of the reindeer and Santa filling the home with presents. The same way most kids learn to believe in Santa, they also learn to doubt his existence - by word of mouth. Sometime in kindergarten, one child brags that he knows the truth about Santa. His thirty-two classmates run home with the burning question, “Mommy, is Santa real?”

For the most part, I think Santa is a benign myth. However, there are some caveats. If your child asks you whether or not Santa is real, don’t lie.

Secondly, believing that all of those wonderful presents were magically delivered by Santa can suppress gratitude in children. If you attribute gifts to St. Nick, make sure one or two come from dad and mom so your kids learn to be thankful to a real person. Finally, never allow Santa, Rudolph or Frosty overshadow the true hero and focus of Christmas, Jesus Christ.